A 44-year-old Queens man pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing his wife during an argument inside her apartment in 2020 -- a brutal scene that unfolded right in front of her daughter, the local district attorney said.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday that Carmelo Mendoza pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree the previous day in connection to the death of 45-year-old Yaquelin Collado.

According to the charges, in the early morning of July 3, 2020, Mendoza argued with Collado in their bedroom -- an argument that continued into the hallway and then the kitchen.

When Collado's 19-year-old daughter heard her screams, rushed toward the couple and saw Mendoza stabbing her mother repeatedly in the chest, neck and torso, the charges say. The young woman attempted to stop Mendoza by throwing items at him and tried to push him off her mother.

Although Mendoza fell to the floor, he got back up and continued to stab Collado, according to the charges. It was then that Collado told her daughter in Spanish, “I’m dying, get out of here.” Hearing this, the daughter ran out of the apartment and began banging on her neighbors’ doors, screaming for help. She then called her boyfriend and 911.

When police entered the apartment, they found Mendoza lying on top of Collado in a pool of blood with a kitchen knife nearby.

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Mendoza had stabbed himself numerous times in the abdomen.

Collado and Mendoza were both taken to a local hospital where Collado was subsequently pronounced dead as a result of approximately 27 knife wounds.

Mendoza was treated for self-inflicted injuries. Collado's daughter also suffered injuries, having injured her leg as she tried to intervene during the violent murder.

Mendoza is expected to be sentenced on May 11 to an indeterminate term of 18 years to life in prison.

“This argument, which turned deadly, was a horrific ordeal unfortunately witnessed by the victim’s 19-year-old daughter, who tried in vain to stop the brutal attack. I hope this resolution brings the grieving family some closure," Katz said.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, call the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. (Help is available in English, Spanish and 200+ languages through interpretation service.) If you are in immediate danger, call 911.